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One soldier, one Maute member dead in Lanao del Norte clash — AFP


A soldier and a member of the Maute group were killed during a firefight between government troops and remnants of the ISIS-inspired terrorist organization on September 30 in the Malimbato and Upper Dimayon barangays in Tagoloan, Lanao del Norte, the military said Monday.

According to a statement from the First Infantry Division of Philippine Army in Labangan, Lanao Del Sur, the composite team of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, the Philippine National Police-Tagoloan, and the National Bureau of Investigation encountered the Maute members and an exchange of fire lasted 10 minutes.

The neutralized Maute member was identified as Hadji Rasol Mambuay. An Elisco M16 A1 rifle, hand grenade, one short magazine, two hand-held radios and several improvised explosive materials were also recovered in the said operation aimed to apprehend Dianalan Dimanatang Imam and his men.

The military said these individuals were involved in holding the Islamic City of Marawi under siege from May to October 2017, which killed 165 soldiers, 47 civilians and 920 Maute terrorists and displaced 500,000 people.

LOOK: A timeline of the Marawi conflict

The encounter also resulted in the death of a soldier.

"Rest assured that the heroism and sacrifices of our soldier will not be in vain. We will continue to pursue the remnants of Maute terrorist group," Major General Roseller Murillo, commander of Joint Task Force Zampelan, said in the statement.

Mindanao has been put under martial law by President Rodrigo Duterte until the end of the year, supposedly to neutralize the remnants of the Maute group for good. — Llanesca T. Panti/BM, GMA News